Page 62 of Conail

Baffled, Maeve gazed at her and saw the sadness pouring from her. "You're beautiful and that baby you're carrying is undoubtedly his. You're loyal and committed and smart as well as talented. You would never hurt him that way."

"Can I get all of those emblazoned on my forehead?" she wondered bitterly. "You're forgetting that I am a size sixteen, well, I might be a size eighteen right now. I am not petite, and I happen to be black."

Maeve drew herself up, a warning glint in her eyes. "I raised my children to be proud of who they are. The color of a person's skin has little bearing on what's important and I would like to think you know that much."

She felt suitably chastened.

"It does not matter. It's over, whatever it is, it's done."

"Do you really believe that? I saw the way that man looked at you. He purposefully came to get you. He might be struggling right now because of what he has been through, but I guarantee he will never be able to stay away. Give him time."

"He can take all the damn time he needs." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Mama, but that's how I feel."

Her mother nodded. "That's to be expected. In the meantime, we need to take your mind off things. And the planning of the wedding will do the trick."

"Will it?" she mused wryly. "But you're right, I should get my mind off it."

*****

She threw herself into the planning, taking over the wedding invitations. She had a very precise and lovely handwriting, which made it easy. She was almost finished with the illustrations and would be sending them off by special delivery in a day or two. The small number of people they had thought to invite had grown steadily. Two local people were getting married, and it was a big deal. A few people would be invited to the actual ceremony at the small church, but the farmhouse or rather the barn would be open to several people.

If a twinge of envy popped up every now and then, she would ignore it and keep busy. And she refused to take his phone calls. She had seen in the papers where he donated farming equipment to several farmers who had been displaced by a major storm and sat there staring at his photo on the internet.She had read the article several times and it brought home the fact that he was out of her league.

Men like Conail McLaughlin never marry women like her, no matter what the new magazine 'Members in Love -- White men marrying black women' says.

She had no idea how they pulled it off, but she was not that fortunate. And besides, the odds were stacked high against her. He was clearly still in love with that woman. She thought too much of herself to even consider competing against her.

"It's him again."

She looked up from the thank-you notes she was penning. The gifts had started coming in and the notes needed to be sent out.

"Tell him I'm busy."

"Honey--"

"Mama, please." They were in the kitchen where Maeve had served pies and hot chocolate. Maddy had gone into the office to deal with a client and would be back in the afternoon. Pushing away from the table, Yasmine left the room.

With a sigh, Maeve uncovered the mouthpiece. "She's not ready."

"I see. Any suggestions?" he asked lightly. "I really messed things up."

"You did. I know it's not any of my business, but I need to know if you're still in love with that young woman."

Sitting around his desk, Conail weighed the odds of baring his soul to a perfect stranger.

"No," he answered quietly. "I panicked when Yasmine wanted answers and said the wrong thing. I want to apologize for it."

"An apology alone is not going to work," Maeve told him briskly. "Tell you what. Why don't you come to the wedding? It's on Saturday and she will not be able to avoid you."

"I don't think--"

"Young man, take my advice. My daughter is hurting something fierce and she's stubborn enough to allow this to continue. If you care about her at all, you will think about that."

"I'm assuming my invitation will be in the mail?" There was a hint of amusement in the deep voice that had her smiling.

"Special delivery. I won't say a word to her."

"I would appreciate it. Thanks Maeve."

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